Incandescent igniter for gas-engines.



"i No. 727,158.- PATENTED M'AY'5, 1903.

V J. s. LANG. INDANDESGENT IGNITBR FOR GAS ENGINES-i APPLICATION FILED APR. 16,1902

N0 MODEL.

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WITNE5EE5- I a s QMENTQR.

UNITED ST TES Patented May 5, 1903 PATE T OF ICE.

INCANDESCEN I' IG'NITER FOR GAS-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters, Patent No. 727,158, dated May, 5, 1903. Application filed April 16, 1902;, gerial liol03,l22. (N o model.)-

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES S. LANG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Sufiolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Incandescent Igniters for Gas-Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming a part of this Specification, in explaining its nature.

The invention relates to gas-explosion engines; and it pertains to an improved means for permanently igniting the gaseous charge as it is successively formed in the combustionchamber, the construction and operation of I which igniter can be best seen and understood by reference to the drawings, wherein- Figure 1 represents in vertical cross-section a portion of a gas-explosion engine fitted with the improved means of ignition. Fig. 2 shows the improved igniter in perspective.

Referring to the drawings, A is a portion of the upper part of a gas-explosion-engine easeproviding the combustion-chamber a. The gas is fed to the chamber through the valve-controlled supply-pipe a in the usual manner, and the exploded charge escapes through the exhaust-port a and pipe a which is valve-controlled, as is usualin engines of this kind.

After the engine has been, started by a primary ignition of the gaseous charge, which may be accomplished in any suitable way, as electrically by the rockingelectrode a contacting with the fixed electrode a the rocking electrode being actuated in any suitable manner, it is the purpose of my invention.

to provide a means superseding the primary and temporary means of ignition and furnishing a means tending to the permanent ignition of the gaseous charge as it forms successively in the combustion-chamber.

The permanent igniting device comprises a medium B, which is contained in the exhaustport of the combustion-chamber and which is.

heated and kept hot by the repeated exhaustcharges which pass through it, these of course being sufficiently hot to accomplish this end. For an igniting device of this kind it is desirable to employ a metal which is refractory to high heat and yet will serve to retain heat.

a bl y I 'It is also desirable that it should be so shaped as not to impede the'outward flow of the exhaust and still present a relatively large area of incandescence, with which the compressed gas of a charge may come into contact at the desired interval and be exploded. I have therefore represented the igniter as in the form of a'coil made from a flat strip of nickel, platinum, or other suitable metal, loosely wound, soas to provide a sufficient space between the coils for the outmoving exhaust, the coil being supported in the exhaustpassage so that the space between the coils is in line therewith. The outer coil preferis covered with alayer b, of asbestos or other non-absorbent of heat, whereby heat is held in the coil and prevented from heating the wall of the exhaust-passage about it. This result may likewise be obtained by lining the exhaust-passage with some non-heatconducting material for the length in which the igniter is movable, or, as shown in the drawings, this lining may be supplementary to the covering upon the outer coil, as aforedescribed. I also prefer that the igniter be so supported in. the exhaust-passage as to be movable at will toward or from the explosionchamber, and this result is reached by suspending it from a sliding rod 17*, supported at one end in a manner to permit it to be moved horizontally and at the other end by a crank b on the lower end of a turning-rod b, which extends without the case and has a handleb by which 'it and the crank may be turned. The movement of the crank will therefore cause the igniter tocbe moved toward and from the explosion-chamber as may be required.

The permanent igniter such as I have described serves, of course,.as the means for igniting the gaseous charges successively formed in the combustion-chamber only when it has become sufficiently hot to accomplish this end. Inasmuch as the heating 'of the igniter is best accomplished by the heated exhaust-blast from the exploded charge it necessarily follows that the primary means of ignition must be employed to start the engine and temporarily until the permanent igniter is sufficiently hot to supersede it. This once accomplished the means fu rnishes avery ignition.

I claim 1. In an engine of the character specified a main igniter contained wholly in the exhaustpassage leading directly from the explosionchamber and between it and the exhaustvalve, all parts of which main igniter are adapted to become heated and kept hot by the passage of the full exhaust charge past them to the exhaust-port.

2. In an engine of the character specified a main igniter entirely contained in an exhaustpassage leading directly from the explosionchamber, which igniter divides the exhaustpassage into a plurality of passages through which the exhaust charge passes to the exhaust-port.

3. In an engine of the character specified a main igniter contained entirely in an exhaustpassage leading directly from the explosionchamber and between it and the exhaustvalve, which 'igniter is adapted to become heated and kept hot by the passage of the entire exhaust charge to the exhaust-port,

. and means for moving said igniter lengthwise of said exhaust-passage to vary its position with regard to the explosion-chamber and to thus vary the time of the explosion.

4. In an engine of the character specified, a main igniter contained in the exhaust-passage, heated and kept hot by the exhaust, and a non-heat-absorbcnt covering its outer surface.

5. In an engine of the character specified, a

main igniter contained in the exhaust-pas igniter is movable therein.

'7. In an engine of the character specified, a main igniter contained in the exhaust-passage and comprising an open coil of refractory material, adapted to be heated and kept hot by the exhaust, but not to be destroyed by heat.

8. In an engine of the character specified, a main igniter contained in the exhaust-passage, made of refractory material in the form of an open coil and aranged lengthwise the exhaust-passage with its opening between the coils in line therewith.

9. In an engine of the character specified, a main igniter contained in the exhaust-passage and attached to a sliding rod, said sliding rod, and means extending without the engine for moving said sliding rod from without the engine and also the igniter attached to it.

JAMES S. LANG.

Witnesses:

F. H. KIMBALL, F. F. RAYMOND, 2d. 

